OpenFlow instance
You can configure one or more OpenFlow instances on the same device. A controller considers each OpenFlow instance as a separate OpenFlow switch and deploys forwarding instructions to it.
In this chapter, an OpenFlow switch is the same as an OpenFlow instance, unless otherwise specified.
Associated VLAN
When an OpenFlow instance is associated with VLANs, the flow tables take effect on packets only within those VLANs.
Activation and reactivation
The configurations for an OpenFlow instance take effect only after the OpenFlow instance is activated.
The controller can deploy flow entries to an OpenFlow instance only after the OpenFlow instance reports the following information to the controller:
Capabilities supported by OpenFlow.
Ports that belong to the OpenFlow instance.
An activated OpenFlow instance need be reactivated when any of the OpenFlow instance configurations is changed.
After reactivation, the OpenFlow instance is disconnected from all controllers and then reconnected to them.
OpenFlow instance port
An OpenFlow instance sends information about following ports to the controller:
Physical ports.
Logical ports.
Reserved ports of the Local type.
In loosen mode, a port belongs to the OpenFlow instance when VLANs associated with the OpenFlow instance overlap with the port's allowed VLANs. Otherwise, a port belongs to an OpenFlow instance only when VLANs associated with the OpenFlow instance are within the port's allowed VLAN list.